Words by Jesse Serwer—
Scientists conducting research in a region of southeastern Suriname with “virtually no human influence” recently returned with evidence of 60 species previously unknown to science. Among them were a chocolate-colored toad dubbed the “cocoa frog” (see above), as well as 11 new species of fish, one new snake and five other types of frog. It’s not the only time in the last few years researchers from Conservation International have returned from Suriname with a list of new discoveries. A 2010 journey yielded 46 new species. A 2006 trek brought this stunning, fluorescent purple-hued frog to the scientists’—and the media’s—attention.
For more on the latest round of findings, check out the full article in The Guardian.
This latest wealth of discoveries prompted the researchers to conclude in their report that “there are very few places left on Earth that are as pristine and untouched as this region.” It’s no wonder then that the former Dutch colony—which is, geographically speaking, in South America but culturally Caribbean, like its neighbor, Guyana—has been tipped by The Guardian as one of the region’s next top destinations for eco-tourism. (We’ve heard that as much as 80 percent of Suriname’s land mass still consists of unspoiled rain forests, a welcome statistic considering the deforestation that’s occurred in recent years in neighboring Brazil.)
While tourism infrastructure is limited, there are a handful of tour operators, including the Movement for Eco-tourism in Suriname (or METS), conducting low-impact treks into the Surinamese wilderness via Paramaribo. If you’re the sort who finds places you can get to by road and find on maps insufficiently reugged, the “Caribbean’s last frontier” might be the next vacation for you.